StartPage "remembers" your settings from session to session by reading the settings cookie stored by your browser. (For more on this, see "Why does StartPage use cookies?" above.) If StartPage does not remember your preferences, it either means your browser is not storing the StartPage settings cookie or that the cookie is being deleted by your browser or some other program.

If the cookie is not being stored, you can change your browser settings to allow it to store the StartPage preference cookie. If your browser is set to delete all cookies each time you close the program, you can make an exception for the StartPage preference cookie by inserting "startpage.com" (without the www).

You can find out more by searching for "cookies" in your browser's Help feature, or by selecting your browser from the list below.

If you still find that your cookies are being deleted, you may have installed a third-party application to clear your browser history and cache (such as Ccleaner, System Mechanic, Family Watch Bar, or Paper Shredder). These programs may be deleting your cookie information. You can configure these programs to make an exception for the StartPage cookie.

Q: When installing the plugin I get a message saying a search engine of the same name already exists. What's wrong?

That normally means the plugin is properly installed, but not yet visible in the search box in the upper right corner of your browser.For Firefox: Click on the little triangle left in the search box => choose "Manage search engines" => click on "Move Up" till StartPage is at the upper position in the pull down menu and press OK.Now click on the little triangle again and select StartPage, it should then be visible in the search box, type your search term and hit [enter].

For Internet Explorer: Click on the little black triangle right from the search box => choose "Manage search engines" => click on StartPage and choose "Set as standard" and click on close.Now StartPage should be visible in the search box, type your search term and hit [enter].

Q: Does StartPage offer private email?

The people behind StartPage are proudly presenting StartMail: private email for all users, from novice to expert.

StartMail offers a secure vault, an excellent web interface to handle your email, easy to use PGP encryption and Question and Answer encryption, and many other security features.

StartMail has been designed with security and privacy in mind. All our implementation decisions first consider those factors. The same mindset that brought you StartPage and Ixquick now provides secure and private email.

Q: I get messages that StartPage's security certificate has expired! What's happening?

Most likely this is caused by the clock of your computer being set to the incorrect date. Setting the correct date should get rid of these nuisance messages.

Q: How do I add StartPage to my browser? Which browsers are supported?

The StartPage plugin lets you search directly from the search box in your browser, without requiring you to install a toolbar or go to the Startpage.com website for each search. To install it, click "Add StartPage to your Browser" in the menu or click here, and follow the installation instructions.

The following browsers are supported:

Windows:

Apple Macintosh:

- Internet Explorer

- Safari (via third party application 'Glims')*

- Firefox

- Firefox

- Opera

- Opera

- Google Chrome

- Google Chrome

- Google Chrome

- Seamonkey

- Seamonkey

- Icecat/Iceweasel

- Icecat/Iceweasel

*Note: Are you using Safari on a Macintosh and did you upgrade to the new MacOS 10.7 (Lion)? It might be the default search engine is set to Bing.Please upgrade the third party application "Glims" to it's latest version, you can download this upgrade from: http://www.machangout.com/.If StartPage does not show up in the search box right away, you might need to select StartPage once again in the search engine pull down menu on the left side in the search box.

Unlike other search engines, StartPage does not use identifying cookies or tracking cookies. To allow you to customize your StartPage settings, StartPage does, however, use an anonymous 'preferences' cookie that is stored on your computer. This cookie does not pose a risk to your privacy.A cookie is a small data file that tells StartPage your preferred settings and ensures that they are saved from session to session. This enables StartPage to configure the page properly each time you return. If you prefer large font or family friendly settings, for example, you can set those preferences and save them here. The cookie does not contain unique data, and it is never used to identify you. StartPage does not store any information about its users, and we oppose the use of tracking cookies.

Q: Is there a way to save my preferences without using a cookie?

Yes. StartPage has created an alternative way to preserve your settings even if you routinely delete all cookies from your browser. Here's how:

3. StartPage will generate a generic URL that specifies those settings. (This URL does not contain any unique information about you.)

4. The URL can be set as your homepage or copied and used as a bookmark.

5. Use that URL each time you want to return to StartPage with those preferences. StartPage will automatically configure to your preferred settings.

Note that this feature is useful in a family with children, or when there are multiple users with different preferences. You can even give your kids their own family-friendly StartPage URL!

Q: I cannot make a shortcut of a search result to my desktop.Every new shortcut produces just another blank page. What's wrong?

Contrary to other search engines StartPage uses the so-called POST method (instead of the GET method) to keep your search terms out of the logs of webmasters of sites that you reach from our results. Search terms tell a lot about what you are thinking, which is why this is a privacy issue. With the POST method StartPage uses, your search terms are stripped off causing this effect.To create shortcuts you can use the "Bookmark this search" button on the right of the results page.
Alternatively you can switch off "Use POST vs GET" completely in the settings.

Q: When I hit the "back" button I get the page telling me "Web page has expired". Why is this?

Contrary to other search engines StartPage uses the so-called POST method (instead of the GET method) to keep your search terms out of the logs of webmasters of sites that you reach from our results. Search terms tell a lot about what you are thinking, which is why this is a privacy issue. With the POST method StartPage uses, your search terms are stripped off causing this effect.To create shortcuts you can use the "Bookmark this search" button on the right of the results page.
Alternatively you can switch off "Use POST vs GET" completely in the settings.

Q: Is StartPage free? How does StartPage generate its income?

Yes. StartPage's search and proxy services are completely free. Like many other websites and Internet services, StartPage generates its income from advertising. When you perform an StartPage search, you may see up to three sponsored search results at the top of the results page and up to two at the bottom. These ads are indicated by a contrasting background color. Clicking a sponsored link will take you off of the StartPage website to an advertiser's website.Unlike other search engines and websites that run sponsored ads, StartPage does NOT share any privacy-sensitive user data (such as IP address or cookie information) with the provider of these ads.

Q: Can I register my website with StartPage?

No - that is not possible. When you search with StartPage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy. If a particular website ranks high on Google, it will rank high on Startpage. We do not manipulate the results of this process in any way, so you cannot register a site directly with Startpage. You can learn more about StartPage's philosophy and search methodology here.

Q: I know some websites can infect my computer with viruses. How can StartPage help?

The StartPage proxy can help protect you from viruses as you surf the web. One risk when using the Internet is that unscrupulous websites may place malicious software or viruses on your computer without your knowledge. Such software, commonly known as 'spyware' or 'malware', can compromise the security of your computer and cause performance problems. The StartPage proxy protects you from this risk. When you use the proxy, you do not make direct contact with third-party websites. StartPage interacts with the third-party website on your behalf, so the website can't put software, viruses, or cookies on your computer.Note: Any time you click directly on a link from the StartPage search results without using the proxy, you leave the protection of StartPage and go directly to that third-party website.

Q: Can I also use StartPage through the Firefox or SeaMonkey Internet Keywords search?

Using the Firefox or SeaMonkey browser it is possible to perform a web search just by entering your search term into the Location Bar and hitting "enter".By default these browsers use Google, but you can easily change it to Startpage. Here's how:*NOTE: Please make sure to follow the below directions exactly, as changing the "about:config" preferences can influence the behavior of your browser negatively.1. Type "about:config" in the browser location bar and hit 'enter'.2. Accept the warning message to be careful.3. Enter 'keyword.URL' in the filter on top of the page.4. Double-click on the 'keyword.URL'- line that shows up.5. In the pop-up window replace the Google string with: https://www.startpage.com/do/search?language=hangul&cat=web&query=For mobile version please use: https://www.startpage.com/do/m/mobilesearch?language=hangul&cat=web&query=6. Click on 'OK'.7. Close the window or tab.

Now, you are ready to search. If you type your search term into the Location bar, Firefox or SeaMonkey will submit a search query to StartPage since your search term is not a valid URL.Every entry without a clear match to a URL will display the StartPage search results page for the entry and any settings you had saved before will be respected.

If you rather use the settings you generated in a URL you will need to amend https://www.startpage.com/do/search?language=hangul&cat=web&query= as follows:Replace 'language=english' with 'prf=[complete prf-value]' or with 'prfh=[complete prfh-value]' from the generated url, and make sure there is no space before continuing with &cat=web&query= .

Q: I can't find the proxy. Do I need to install anything?

No. The proxy service is always available. Just click on the word 'proxy' mentioned underneath the search results and the proxy window will open, protecting your privacy. You can find more information on how the proxy works in a special proxy information page here.There even is a special video explaining the proxy features available. You can watch it here.

Q: Are there any limitations to using the proxy?

Yes. There are certain limitations to take into account when using the proxy. You can find more information on this on the proxy explained page here.

Q: StartPage is not displaying in the "optimized mode" on the screen of my mobile device. What should I do?

StartPage supports most mobile devices, but please use www.startpage.com/m if the "optimized mode" doesn't show automatically.

Q: I can't get images to show. My browser is Internet Explorer. How can I solve this?

Setting the "Anonymous Images/Video Search" to "ON" in 'Settings' will make the images re-appear.

Q: I want search suggestions - are they available?

Yes - search suggestions can be enabled on the Settings page! StartPage safeguards your privacy by using non-personal search suggestions as explained here.

Q: Every time I do a search I get the "Do you want to view only the contents of the web page that can be delivered securely?" box.How can I get rid of this?

Every time your page loads or I do a search I get the "Only secure content is displayed. What's the risk?" message.How can I get rid of this?

This message is shown to indicate that both content served securely (via HTTPS - encrypted by SSL) as well as content served non-securely (via HTTP) are displayed together on the site.You can turn the reporting off in IE settings.

Go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Security

Select the "Security" tab -> Click the "Custom Level" button

In the "Miscellaneous" section change "Display mixed content" to Enable.

Click 'Yes' when asked to confirm the change.

After the change, IE will automatically display all secure (HTTPS/SSL) and non-secure (HTTP) elements on a web page without warning.

Setting the "Anonymous Images/Video Search" to "ON" in "Settings" will also prevent this message from being shown.